Pellet container and selector



Sept 7, 1948 F. 1.. sEssloNs PfrLvlffl'l.'v CONTAINER AND SELECTOR,

Filed Jan. 1S, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheer? 1 4jf Aka-wrok:

Sept.7, 1948. F. 1 sEssloNs PELLT CNTAINER AND SELECTOR v 3 Sheets-Sheet! 2 Filed Jan. 15, 1945 Sept. 7, 1948. F. L. sEssloNs 2,443,918

ELLET CONTAINER AND SELECTOR Filed Jan. l5, 1945 Y 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Slept. 7, 19.48

` PELLET CONTAINER `ANI) .SELECTOR VFrank L. Sessions, Lakewood, Ohio Application January 15, 1945, Serial No."72,76 v 5 (Crece-4,2)

.This invention relates toiimprovementsinjcon.-

tainers in which medicinal .pellets .such as .cap-

sules, pills, .tablets and fthe flike,are packaged ffcr sale .and from -which @the .consumer .removes u the pellets, `one .at .a1time, Yas they emayy .be required.

.For carrying outinyinvention :I preferito use a known v.type lof .container :in .which .the .pellets are disposed in.one.ormoreztiers .orzlayers `the pellets being held in .small pockets, .usually Kone to a pocket, the required `nurnlcerof pockets linleach layer usually :being aformed .by crisscrossed `vpartitions. The pellets are thus 'kept ffrom rolling about and being '.jumbled .togethenas longas the partitions are in -lthe '.container. :,However, :the pocketsbeingsmalLit :heretofore has '.beenmecessary to remove .the .partitions zbefore the Apellets could bepickedup bythe fingers. Containersloperated in this =way .are unsanitary and inconvenient since .the pelletshaventmbe pawed over and .separated before .one canzbe .grasped and picked up. ;Unavoidably, idustend .unfriendly germs, .if ,presentgwill adhere .to .the pellets.

The principal `obiectofmy.invention isfto provide a convenient,.;sanitary andeconomicalapellet container.andselector;inwhichcontainerthelpeli lets will be kept vinlsmall separate `poczlretsfuntil selected and removed ffrom .them without touchingthe :fingers lof .the person .removing them,

Some of the advantages of my inventionare: it iseasyto makeanduse; .itlissamtam.itishot easilydamagedwhenbeing usedbecause the partitonS are :left .in fthe ,container .and prevent -it from bucklingpnbeing crushed; thecostlof the selectors .iis no-.morethanthat ofthe layer separatingfand coveringcards heretofore-used; the selector is a .practical .convenienceto the .iconsumer; and itis a valuable sellingfeature.

In, brief, the pellet selector isa loose, `removable card of .readily.determined, suitable thickness, which Ais :of asize to `rest. loosely upon :the vtops of the partitions .in .the container and cover vall of the pocketsinfalayer. A-portion ofthe-selector card is perforated or scored =to make l detachable coupons .eachof .which covers a single pocket.

When a coupon has been torn from the-card, the contents .of the `pocket which was covered by it may be dropped outof the container by inverting it while the-card, which-is of suitable stiffness to lsupport the pellet/sus-lneldupagainst the partitions to prevent the contents of the other pockets from dropping out. It -is necessary to provide coupons over only-those npockets Which are located Wholly or partly iin the same one quarter-portion of the container-as will-blefmade apparetin the deserpiiongef Seleetcrfcard. Manyvarieties of vitamin capsules andi-other medicinal .pellets .are packaged :in Containers holding ifty .0r .multiples ofdiity. pellets; :each nity pelletsconstitutinea Seperate leyeron-.the container; each layer `containing ve columns of 4ten pellets each; andeach pellet being disposed in a separate pocket. For convenience this Aspecification and the accompanying .drawings are directed to a two-layer, one-hundred pellet container `of `this sort and a selector card for each layer, but it will be understood that myiinvention is not limited to this particularcapacity or arrangement of container or to having only one pellet in a pocket. The dimensions of the pockets and coupons may be made to accommodate ,more than one pelletif they are required'at one time.

Inthe drawings:

Fig. 1 is a section on line `l-- of-Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-.2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. Sis a section on linee-3 of Fig. 1.

Figiv is aplan View of the container boxllaiter thic` ,corner coupon of the perforated selector card `has been removed to release Vthe pellet ,a fromthe corner pocket at A.

Fig. 5 is similar toAvFig/l exceptethat @t `Lithe pellet `ahasbeen removed fromthe corner pocket and the selector card has .been invertedabout its longerymiddleline XX (see Fig. 13) tobring its open corner over the second corner .pocket at VLB, to releasefthe pellet b from it.

Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 5 except mamme pellet b hasbeen removed from the second corner pocket at B and the selector card has been invertedabout its shorter middle line YY, to bring its fopen corner-over the. third, cornerpocket at Cl torelease thepellet c fromit.

Flg. 7 is similarto FigoA except thatthepelletc has been removedffromA the third cornerpocket v,at Gand the selector card has been inverted ,about itslonger middle lineXX, to kbring its open corner overthe fourth corner pocket at Dto releasethe pellety d-,fromit.

lFig. 8 vis-a yplan view similar to Figglgexcept thatfall four` `of f the corner pellets a, 51) c, and Ad, have been removed and the coupon1 which,v covered pellet `e in the pocket next to theppen corner at A has been removed from theselectorpard to permit the removal, one ata time, of thepellets e, y and h from their respective pocketsby manipulating the selector card in the manner described-for removing the pellets a, b, c,.df rom the cornerpockets at .'A,-B, C and-D.

Fig. 9l is1 similar to Fig. 2 except that all of ,the pelletsl'havebeen removed from theupper layer, the yoriginal-topselector card lf'l from which .all of-the coupons were `removed to'frelease the 11pper layer ofpellets has'beendiscardedand the intermediate selector card lila, Whichserved asa layer separating card between thev upper Vvand lower layers has been placedon Ytop of theempty upper set of partitions .to -be.used 4for .selecting the pellets kfrom the lower layer through the empty upper-layer pockets.

Figs. 11 and 12 are side views respectively of the longitudinal and transverse, slotted strips 22 and 23 which, half-lapped and crisscrossed, form the partitions and pockets of a layer.

Fig. 13 is a perspective View of the loose, removable selector card with all coupons intact.

It will be observed that by removing one coupon at a time and not removing another until all of the pellets are removed that may be released by manipulating the selector card as described, every pellet may be removed from the container without being touched by the lingers.

The body I4 of the container is an open-top box of known construction of pasteboard or other suitable material. It may have any convenient form of removable cover (not shown), or it may be adapted to serve as a drawer to slide in and out of an open-end drawer case I5 having a suitable closure such as the iiap I6 for the open end.

The body I4 is shown without a cover or outer case in Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. In Figs. l, 2, 3, 9 and it is shown within the open-end drawer-case I5. As shown in Figs. 2, 3, 9 and 10 the tops of the sides and ends of the container, I4, extend slightly above the tops of the partitions and prevent the selector card from slipping out of place.

The container may be made to hold any desired number of layers and a selector card as shown at I'I, I'Ia, for each layer. All selector cards used in the same container are alike. With the exception of the original top selector card, each selector card in a multiple-layer container functions as a layer separating card until it is removed and placed on top of the upper layer for selecting pellets from the lower of the two layers which it has previously served to separate.

The perforated selector card II is shown in perspective in Fig. 13. It may have recesses I8, I9, '20 and 2I in its edges to facilitate lifting it from the container.

As shown in the drawings there is an even number, ten, of pockets in the longer rows and an odd number, five, in the shorter rows. As a consequence, some of the pockets covered by the perforated portions of the selector card, those along the middle line XX, lie partly in one and partly in another, while the rest of them lie wholly in the same one quarter portion of the container. The removal of any single coupon which is not over a middle line of the container permits the removal of four pellets, one at a time, by manipulating the selector card as above described. It will also be observed that when a row of coupons is bisected by a middle line of the container only two pellets may be removed through the opening made by the removal of one coupon from such a row. It will be observed that the middle line YY will lie over and be parallel to a partition between adjacent rows of pockets.

I claim:

1. A pellet container and selector comprising a box having partitions forming a plurality of open-top pockets arranged in crisscrossed rows; and a loose, removable selector card above said partitions, covering all of said pockets; said selector card having a coupon portion comprising detachable coupons, each coupon being dimensioned and positioned to cover one pocket and said coupon portion of said card covering only the pockets lying wholly or partly in the same one quarter corner portion of said box.

2. A pellet container and selector comprising an open-top box, removable, crisscrossed partitions forming rows of pockets in said box, and a loose, removable selector card above said partitions covering all of said pockets, each of said pockets being dimensioned to contain a pellet, said selector card having a coupon portion comprising detachable coupons, each coupon being dimensioned and positioned to cover one pocket, said coupon portion of said card covering only the pockets lying wholly or partly in the same one quarter corner portion 0f said box.

3. A pellet container and selector comprising a box having partitions forming a plurality of open-top pockets arranged in crisscrossed rows; a loose, removable selector-card above said partitions covering all of said pockets; said selectorcard having a coupon portion comprising detachable coupons, each coupon being dimensioned and positioned to cover one pocket and said coupon portion of said card covering only the pockets lying wholly or partly in the sameone quarter corner portions of said box; removable, crisscrossed partitions above said first named selectorcard, forming openings registering with said first named pockets but separated therefrom by said iirst named selector card; and a second loose, removable selector-card above said last named partitions, said second loose, removable selector card being like said rst named selector card.

4. A pellet container and selector comprising an open-top receptacle, partitions forming a plurality of pockets in said receptacle, and a loose, removable selector card above said pockets said selector card having a portion perforated to form detachable coupons, each coupon being dimensioned and positioned to cover one pocket and said coupon portion of said selector card covering only the pockets lying wholly or partly in the same one quarter corner portion of the container, said selector card being movable to position each coupon over any selected pocket which is similarly disposed as said coupon with respect to the center of said container, and which said coupon may, by lifting and turning said card end for end or inverting it and replacing it on top of said pockets be made to cover said selected pocket. i

5. A pellet container and selector comprising an open top box, a plurality of tiers of rectangularly crisscrossed, removable partitions forming intersecting rows of compartments or pockets, the pockets in each tier being in vertical alignment with the pockets in the other tiers, the bottom tier resting upon the bottom of the container, a loose, removable selector card on top of each tier and covering all of the pockets in that tier, each selector card having a coupon portion comprising detachable coupons each coupon being dimensioned and positioned to cover one pocket, and said coupon portion of each selector card covering only the pockets lying wholly or partly in the same one quarter corner portion of said box.

FRANK L. SESSIONS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of Vrecord in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

